5 Comments:

It’s a great looking building (West Building as it’s now called) — look great in it’s original form and still has potential. Nonetheless, lots of deferred maintenance and a lack of TLC have left it looking only a notch or two above shabby. The big brown addition dominates the structure now–for better or worse–and though often derided, the expansion is itself highly typical of it’s own era–and I’ve always really liked the interesting central stairway–even if the exterior looks…well…like a slab.

The brown leddy is the Robarts of Windsor (U of T’s giant concrete library) and is loved-hated. I will admit to loving it — i read/study better when in big heavy buildings like that, with nooks and crannies and find a secret space. Feeling everything is safe and fortfied. The sun isn’t so great for books, so the closed feeling is always going to be there – closed to the outside that is, to some degree.

6 years and 2 degrees spent in Leddy and apart from small complaints, I liked it a lot generally.

TLC for the original section, though, please. Always sad that the hot spaceport entrance was blocked.

I’ve always loved the central stairway between the two wings. As kids growing up in the neighbourhood, we used to ride our bikes down the stairs. Good times. I spent a fair bit of time studying there as well, and I always enjoyed the atmosphere. Ya gotta love those banks of study cubicles unintentionally shaped like swastikas. Funny stuff.